Trail-running, from winter to spring

Transitioning from snow activities, which are low impact to trail running, a high impact sport, can be a big jump for the body! Here are a few tips that can help you progress into a healthy mountain running season.
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Transitioning from snow activities, which are low impact to trail running, a high impact sport, can be a big jump for the body!

Here are a few tips that can help you progress into a healthy mountain running season.

If you ran throughout the winter, you can also benefit from the following tips, just adapt to your fitness level and add some intensity, if you have not yet!

One beauty of spring in the mountains, we can ski mountaineer at higher elevation and trail run the lower terrain!

A few tips:

Focus on shorter distances, don’t be too over enthusiastic and jump into high volume right away, a good way to waste energy in the early season or even get injured, be patient!

Quick leg turn-over, like cycling, is very important for runners. Train your legs to be efficient, lighter with a quicker cadence, it also helps avoid overstriding which reduce your ability of moving forward and can be very abusive on the leg muscles, joints, and tendons.

Be consistent with your pace, focus on comfortable and steady breathing, especially on rolling terrain. Slow down if your breathing rises suddenly (exception for speed workouts!) and accelerate the descent with short quick strides.

Double check your trail running shoes, are they overused from last season? If so, think of getting a new pair and start the spring on a good step.